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Use your foam roll for more than rolling out your muscles… These 5 exercises are a great way to engage your CORE & get a whole body workout in! {VIDEO}

Happy Thursday!

One of the goals I set for 2016 was to post more FITNESS related content for you all! I have been feeling like this blog has gotten away from what my original intentions for it were and has become just a place for me to blabber about my life, which is fine but not ideal. I am going to make it a point to start feeding you all useful and practical fitness posts.

So today I am giving you 5 exercises to do with your foam roll… that ARENT rolling out your muscles!

I love using a foam roller & it is one of the most recommended fitness products that I recommend my patients to purchase, as they are generally not very expensive and a great tool! However your foam roller can be used for WAYYY more than just rolling out those sore muscles and it is a fantastic tool to amp up your body weight workout. PLUS that makes your $20 massage tool become a WORKOUT tool as well, and I am all about getting a bang for your buck! Also most gyms and fitness centers have foam rollers available for general use so if you have a gym membership but not a foam roller at home this works for you too.

This group of exercises focuses on your CORE as the predominant muscle group doing the work. Because of the cylindrical surface of the foam roll you get to really key into your deep core muscles (your Transverse Abdomens, ask my patients its my favorite muscle) and challenge them with a dynamic surface!

1. Plank Holds

The first exercise is a PLANK! Y’all this is a great way to spruce up your boring plank and get some extra activation in. Putting your hands on the foam roller will almost automatically kick in your Transverse Abs and make you stabilize extra hard. This is a DOUBLE whammy exercise because you are stabilizing through your shoulder girdle. Make sure you set your shoulders by externally rotating (try to bend the foam roll and try to rotate your shoulder blade back) which is an excellent way to strengthen those small shoulder girdle muscles important for stabilizing the shoulder during overhead and pressing exercises.

Recommendations – Perform 4 sets of 30 second holdsMake It Easier – drop to your knees and preform a modified plank on your kneesMake It Harder – perform it single legged, alternate between feet (10 alternations per set) or perform a set on each leg (30second holds)

2. Plank Walks

A foam roll walk is a great way to kick those shoulder stabilizers into high gear and again strengthen them for overhead and pressing tasks. For this exercise you’re going to get into a high plank and then squeezing your core and gluts tight walk one hand out and back then repeating on the second side.

Adding a theraband kicks these up a notch!

Recommendations – Perform 4 sets of 10 walks PER armMake It Easier – drop to your knees and preform in a modified plank on your kneesMake It Harder– add a theraband around your wrists to add resistance

{{Freebie}} Another way to amp up your plank is to perform a forearm plank roll out. Starting in a modified plank position (on your knees) and with your elbows on the foam roll, slowly start to flex your shoulders (bringing arm towards your ears) which will lower your abdomen towards the ground. At the point of maximal flexion start to pull your arms back so your elbows are under your shoulders by activating your lats and really focusing on keeping your core tight! It’s easy to let your back sag during this one, so FIGHT it!

these roll outs are LEGIT!!!

3. Dead Bugs

Dead bugs are probably my patients least favorite exercise, they are tricky and look super goofy but are really effective in targeting my FAVORITE muscle and making you work to engage your transverse abs. When doing these on the foam roll you really have to dig deep and kick into your inner balance ninja!

Using as little upper body support as possible, I used 1 finger of each hand, activate your core and elevate one leg to a 90-90deg position (90deg hip flexion & 90deg knee flexion) maintaining this position bring your other leg up to match before slowly lowering your legs back down one at a time in a controlled manner. Basically you are marching your legs, pausing in table top each time.

Recommendations – Perform 4 sets of 20 marches (up+up+down+down = 1)Make It Easier– use more upper body supportMake It Harder – try to use 1 or NO upper body support, this is super hard and takes practice. If you can get NO upper body support try to maintain your feet in an elevated table top position without falling over!

4. Bridge Holds

Bridges are another of my favorite exercise, they are great for posterior chain strengthening and engaging your core (obvious trend!). Just like the plank hold, by putting your feet on the foam roll you are required to use more muscle activation and really keep everything tight!

Make it harder by doing Single Leg Bridges

Recommendations – Perform 2 sets of 10 reps with a 10second hold at the topMake It Easier – Do not elevate your hips as high, or support your hips with your elbows on the ground. If the foam roll continues to make it too challenging perform on the ground.Make It Harder – perform it single legged, perform a 10second hold on each leg before switching to the next leg. Make it even harder by alternating without lowering your hips!

5. Hamstring Curls

These are a doozy!!! Starting in a bridge position with the balls of your feet supporting you, roll out into an extended leg posture while maintaining your elevated hip position, then in a controlled manner fire your hamstrings and pull your legs back toward your butt.

Start Position

End Position

KEY TIP :: make sure you are towards to toe of your shoes so when you roll out the foam roll is rolling down your shoe towards your heel. ALSO make sure your core is rock hard and you are not arching your back when rolling out or back, this can lead to back pain and thats no bueno!

Recommendations – Perform 4 sets of 10 curlsMake It Easier – drop your hips and perform without the bridge positionMake It Harder– you can try single legged if these are too easy, however they are pretty tricky as is!

Alright so there you have it! 5 killer foam roller exercises that don’t involve rolling out your muscles. These moves can easily be coupled together into one workout that will not only blast your core but recruit your whole body, or you can add one or two to your workout to spruce it up! I personally love adding the planks & plank walks to supplement a shoulder workout, and then adding the bridges & hamstring curls with a leg day. They are excellent supplemental exercises!

Hope you enjoy & let me know if you have any requests for future workouts/exercises!

This 20minute treadmill workout will work up a sweat &
you’ll burn tons of calories without running a step!

Happy Monday Friends!

This was the last weekend for a while where we didn’t have anything on the books and we took good advantage of the RELAXation part of the weekend. We have really enjoyed the past 6 weeks without traveling and getting to see friends and do things around Chicago but I am getting really excited for the fall and football! I am not super excited about driving multiple weekends in a row but HEY you take the good with the not so good!

Anyway’s this weekend started dreadfully slow… We woke up on saturday morning to roll over, turn the TV on and continue to laze for a few more hours. Honestly I made breakfast and then lounged on the couch until about 1:00 when we decided to be functioning humans.

I cannot tell you the last time my day started at 1:00 and honestly don’t know when it will happen again. While I loved getting some extra rest, my body was not very happy at my lack of moving and treated me with a mighty headache…. nothing a little caffeine and cardio couldnt fix!

I snapped my daily shaker contents while making this…
make sure you follow me on snapchat (mywellnessland) for more behind the scenes!

We decided to go to do some cardio before lunch so we walked over to the gym since it was cloudy and rainy outside. We did about 12 minutes on the stationary bike to warm up and burn a few calories. Then we decided to hit the treadmill.

Brent & I have been “enjoying” walking on the treadmill on an incline during our cardio sessions lately. We both have been having a hard time fitting cardio into our lifting and like I said in my fitness recap we have been really working to focus on adding more cardio each week.

So after our bike session we did this fun and KILLER treadmill workout, where we WALKED!!! yep no running required and you’ll still burn a tonnnnn of calories in just 20 minutes.

If your treadmill doesn’t go up to 30, then just max it out and slowly decrease the incline for the first 10 minutes and then go back up the second 10 minutes.

After our cardio workout we had some lunch and went to a coffee shop for a little Barbell shrugged & photoshop work. It was a productive afternoon after a lazy morning. We ended our night with a fun shoulder lifting session at the gym.

I worked on some hang cleans & power cleans then focused on my strict press. I have been stuck at the same weight on strict press for a while so I was going to focus on my form while increasing my weight. I was feeling pretty good so I decided to record myself at 85# and was able to get 2 solid reps, then I decided that I was going to try 90# & guess what y’all I GOT IT!!!!!!!! I definitely struggled when pressing it up which is super apparent but I was able to hold it together and PRESS through, resulting in a 10# PR!!!! Yep 85# would’ve been a PR so I got a 2xPR! BOOM!!!!

Sunday we did our usual Sunday stuff to get ready for the week. We have been getting to COSTCO at 9:30 because of when our church gets out so we legit sit in the parking lot for 15-20 minutes before they let us in and are almost always out before 10:10 when they technically open at 10:00. Its awesome and kind of erie at the same time. BUT NO LINES = WINNING everyday!

I have been wanting to try La Croix for a longggggg time but never bite the bullet, well for the past few weeks I have mentioned to Brent each week at the store that i wanted to try it. SO this week we decided to go for it. I blame him for “letting” me get it but I am just as skeptic about trying new things….

The verdict… La Croix + Spark (or La Croix + Rehydrate) = AMAAAZINGGG!!! Its like having a POP without all the crap… I have missed the carbonation more than I knew I did, and its a nice treat!

When I was food prepping I turned the TV to ABC Family and it was the start of Twilight. I have never seen or had the desire to see any of the series but I have to admit the first movie was pretty good & definitely kept me interested when i was cooking!

To finish my sunday I got a phone call to do some “impromptu babysitting”… well actually I got a FaceTime from my step-mom, who I really thought was accidentally FaceTiming me, and when I answered i saw my baby niece cooing away! It was a fun little 5 minute chat with the babe & my parents while they were babysitting for my sister & brother in law. I haven’t seen that lil girl in almost a month and am definitely in need of a baby fix!

p.s don’t mind that I look super hit in the picture… I did it for the baby!

Hope you all have a great start to your week and the Holiday Weekend!!!

So I have been having some serious technical issues. I am really bummed that my post’s from last week have been mysteriously deleted from cyber space but instead of dwelling on the past I am picking up from where I left off and starting the week new.

I had a Fitness Friday post planned last week, but since that did not happen we will have a Fitness Lately post instead…

Over the past month Brent & I made a pact to bump up our lifting routine and really put the most into each session. Previously while we were hitting the gym regularly and lifting “hard” there was a key component missing and it felt like we were just going through the motions half of the time. After we cut out the junk from our diet, started focusing on managing our macros around our lifting days and adjusting our lifts to challenge ourselves a little bit more we both started to see and feel a huge difference.

This is our Standard lifting routine, working up in weight performing 4-10 reps or until failure, usually we get 3-4 sets in before we can’t get 1 clean rep, some lifts are differnet but this is the general goal. Primarily starting with barbell lifts and then moving into dumbbells, the pretty standard lifts nothing fancy.

Most of the time we do our barbell work together, spotting each other and motivating each other to lift more, push harder. Dumbbell lifts half the time are free game, I like to do lighter weight stabilization lifts and Brent enjoys going heavier and harder. We will do some together and some apart, this is our “gym freedom” time.

Surrender Squats

Leg day is again another “free” day. We both do our legs differently, primarily due to my hip issues that I have been working through, and because its easier to have two different bars than constantly changing the 400+ pounds that Brent throws around! I love it this way though, we are able to just do our things, work hard side by side & still push each other when things get tough.

Last week after a fun Sunday Olympic Lifting day we decided to incorporate more olympic lifts into our regular routine.

The addition of the olympic lifts has made a HUGE change, I know its hard to say that after a week but doing an additional lift has been really challenging and makes you use your WHOLE body to stabilize the bar after taxing one muscle group/area. We did a lot of Oly lifts when we were doing CrossFit regularly so its been fun to add them back in to our routine. My upper traps are definitely reminding me that I haven’t been working them as hard lately.

So there you have it, the basis of our lifting routine. We do try to change it up a little bit each day but if you would be interested in our lifts and splits let me know and I will be happy to share!

On Tuesday when I hit the gym after my lifting session I decided to do a little finisher workout, similar to the conditioning workouts performed at CrossFit.

I decided to do a whole body finisher to get my heart rate up, feel the burn and sweat it out before leaving the gym. The best thing about this workout is you can add as many rounds as you’d like to make the workout fit your needs. It could easily be a full workout rather than just a finisher!

Slam Ball Squats
Starting with the slam ball overhead and slamming it down catching it in the squat before standing back up. Scale the weight to your tolerance and physical demands, this is a great cardio component!

Split Lunges with Slam Ball Overhead
Set up a plyobox or aerobics step to mid-shin or knee height, place your rear foot on the aerobics step making sure your front foot (on the ground) is far enough forward so that when you go into a lunge position your knee will not go over your toes. Press the slam ball overhead and lower into a squat, try to get full depth each rep

BOSU Get Ups
Set up a BOSU ball with the ball side up, recline over the ball reaching the slam ball overhead touching the ground above your head. Perform a sit up bringing the ball to your chest & going to a standing position.

Split Step Jumps
Start with one foot on the top of the riser, jump and switch feet on the top of the riser. Each foot counts as 1 repetition.

I hope you guys add this to the end of your workout or try it for a quick cardio blaster during your week, or just pin it for later 🙂

I am really excited that its friday, if you can’t tell. Since last weekend was spent with some of my favorite running masterminds I didn’t get to just relax, so I am excited to have some of that time this weekend!

One of my goals since starting our All In challenge was to make a bigger commitment to the gym. When we lived in Rockford I worked out 4-5days a week and sometimes would workout 6-7, but since moving to Arlington Heights my workouts have drastically decreased. Some weeks I am lucky if I make it to the gym 3x/week and cannot remember the last time I worked out 5days. I miss our Rockford gym, probably more than anything else, and the regularity of my workouts but I am loving the change from CrossFit and learning new areas of fitness.

On Tuesday night when I was driving home from work I decided that I would dig my TRX out of the storage room and do a TRX at home workout. When I workout at home, I don’t want to do anything longer than 20-30minutes, and since we don’t have a lot of equipment, or room, a 30 minute workout is perfect.

This TRX Tabata workout is a fun whole body workout with a core burner at the end. Can be a short finisher to your workout or your whole workout you decide!

#noexcuses on not having room in your house. I literally took 5 minutes and moved my loveseat & coffee table so I would have a clear area around our patio door to do this workout. I live in a 760sqft apartment, if I can find room, SO CAN YOU! 🙂

This Tabata workout can be a short finisher, as short as 6minutes, or a long workout by increasing the number of rounds you do. I did about 3 rounds (plus an extra round for recording!) and it took me around 20minutes with a few rest breaks between rounds.

I split the workout in two the two parts, performing the upper body/lower body split first & then going down to the ground to perform the suspended core burner. fair warning the core workout, is just as tough on your arms!

Now for your Friday entertainment, head over to my instagram to see the high speed version of this workout!

Have a great Friday friends, go out there and move your body this weekend!

Saturday I was invited to a new-to-me gym in Rockford for their “SuperFIT” workout.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit nervous about the workout, as I had heard about them before and they always sound seriously intense and slightly intimidating. But I am always up for a fitness challenge so off I went!

I made sure to fuel up before the workout. O2 Gold & Spark to the rescue!

First the community at The FIT is amazing! I felt welcomed right away and loved that everyone started by rolling out and stretching. Then FIT owner Jared took the group through a dynamic warm up and stretching. He brought a lot of energy to the warm up and definitely engaged all our muscles getting some blood pumping.

Jared then walked us through each station. The SuperFIT workout is broken up into 15 stations where you work for 45 seconds at each station and have 30 seconds to rest & move to the next area. You then complete all 15 stations THREE times for a 75 minute workout.

The stations mostly consisted of an upper body & lower body strengthening combination or an upper body & cardio or lower body and cardio combination. I LOVE combination movements, they not only drive your HR up but engage your core and all body parts so you don’t topple over.

The workout was HARD! I didn’t realize until we started the second round that there were 3 rounds total. Imagine the shock! I also have not worked out in a group environment like that in a long time. I loveee those types of classes which challenge you to push a little harder and dig a little deeper because someone will call you out if you don’t! It definitely make the workout more fun, I found myself pushing much harder than I do otherwise and definitely felt the burn the next day!

I told Jared after the workout that I wish I knew about The FIT earlier! It is just the place that I need to help supplement my workouts. It is a fun environment with trainers who know their stuff and push you the little extra they know you need. I am sad that I will be leaving Rockford but happy to have experienced the FIT before I left!

If you live in the Rockford area and are looking for a serious workout to challenge your muscle imbalances and push your limits a little further you MUST go check out Jared & his trainers at The FIT. They offer a variety of workouts and fitness programs to meet your needs and I can personally attest to the quality of the trainers. They are top notch!

PLUS The FIT remembers the importance of supporting our community. They have SuperFIT workouts which regularly support a local charity and donate the profits from the workout to a good cause. PHENOMENAL!

Post-Workout Sweaty-Face Photo Must!

Thank you again Jared & Team for having me Saturday. I will definitely be back for more!

I wish I was back on the shores of Lake Michigan watching the water crash on the shores and thinking about nothing and everything. Although we didn’t go any where tropical or exotic going to Michigan’s west coast was just what this doctor ordered!

The awesome group of active vacationers!

The whole week on vacation we were active, we did at least ONE active thing a day which made the week even more enjoyable. It was so nice to move my body while on vacation and feel like we accomplished something each day more than just going to the beach and going out to eat.

So often I feel like vacation is just eating and sleeping which is fine and dandy but you leave feeling like you gained 100 pounds and lost all the muscle you had prior. This is not to say that I didn’t over eat on vacation!

On Wednesday we all were still a bit tired from our 6 mile hike on Tuesday and slept in. I had considered going for a run or doing a workout but decided that I should give my legs a break, plus I knew we had plans to rent stand up paddle boards during the day. After we all got up and moving it was off to the beach for 2 hours of paddle boarding.

Two people is a dangerous task!

I had never been on a SUP before and was excited to give it a try! Brent and I went out on the board together for our first time out and I will tell you right now that was a mistake!!! After a while of paddling sitting down I decided I wanted to try to stand up, I got to the standing position and likely less than 5 seconds later we lost our balance and capsized. The best part was we lost our paddle and I sent Brent into the water to “fetch” it, I mean he is the man!! After the capsizing incident we decided 1 person a board.

My next two times out I did much better and was able to stay in the standing position for a longer period of time with decreased wobbling and loss of balance. Most of the time I was able to regain my balance before falling in the freezingggggg coldddd lake!

Overall SUP was super fun and challenging. I would love to try it again on a smaller warmer lake!

4 mile run & beach workout fun!

Thursday we woke up with plans to go for a run. My aunt and our friend joined in and we set off without a distance or speed in mind. The three of us were all at different running levels so while we were “running together” we all ran at our own pace. It was sooooo nice to run with other people! I loved knowing that two other people were there with me to push me through the next couple miles. I was in the front of the pack I stopped at each mile to mile and a half to check and see how everyone else was doing, since we didn’t have a distance in mind I didn’t want to go farther than they were willing to run.

Timer “selfies” doing our workout!

We ended up running a 4 mile out and back then walked down to the beach and did this fun beach workout.

Clam Diggers = Mountain Climbers. In a high plank position brace abdominals and drive a single knee toward your chest, alternating legs each repetition.

Lighthouse Lunges = starting in a standing position cross right leg behind left leg dropping into a “curtsey”, pulling through your left leg bring your right leg forward driving into a high knee

Dolphin Push-Up= start in a downward facing dog position, brings hands closer together making a diamond shape. Perform push-up lowering head and chest towards ground, stopping 2-3inches before the sand/ground

Half Burpees= start in a high plank position jump feet towards chest and then back out to starting plank position.

Donkey Kicks = starting in a downward facing dog position, kick one leg up like your going into a handstand letting your other leg follow. Land with the leg you kicked up. Alternate each repetition.

Tipsy Seagulls = Dunking Birds. Start in standing position, holding a dumbbell in one hand or weighted bar/bag in both hands. Transfer weight on to one leg, tipping forward at your hips, allowing your other leg to kick back behind you. With a braced core drive through your heel and squeeze your glutes to push the hips forward returning to a standing position.

The rest of Thursday was spent on a Dune buggy and then playing in Lake Michigan for a few more hours!

Friday we hit a local amusement park and walked all around. That counts as exercise for the day!

I have decided that active vacations might just be my favorite way to vacation. It’s a fun way to explore different areas of the town you’re visiting and a great way to stay healthy while indulging on all the vacation wonderful things!

Linking up with Amanda who is the genius allowing me to share all my vacation thoughts.

Have you tried stand up paddle boards?Whats your favorite way to stay active on vacation?

Happy Friday! Popping in with a fun workout for you today. This is a whole body burner and will definitely get your heart rate pumping! I did a 1000meter row to start and then was able to fit in one … Continue reading →

Happy Friday!!!!
I don’t know about you all but I am SO glad its friday. This week seemed extremely painful and long. I am excited for a weekend of relaxation and hopefully catching up on everything I feel behind on.

1. Yesterday I got a text from my aunt with this great quote. I love the quote and how true it really is… we have a history of wine drinking when we get together and I love it, it is beyond therapeutic 🙂

2. Wednesday I deviated from the typical GPP workout of the day and did my own thing. I have been trying to run more frequently which has meant changing up a GPP day to fit my time constraints and meet my running needs. Wednesday I decided to forego the cardio workout and just run. Well after my run I decided I wanted to do something more so I hit the weight room for some back, hips and core strengthening.

Heres what I did:Plank Rows 4 sets, 20-26 reps/set (R+L=2)..
I upped weight once and then maintained since I was aiming for high reps each set. TIPS: maintain a neutral spine and try to maintain a stable pelvis with minimal hip rotation with each row. This is a GREAT move for core stabilization along with back strengthening.

Rack a bar overhead and perform a lunge with a twist (see video below).
I started with a 30# bar to make sure I could perform the move safely and maintain good balance. After performing a couple sets of 10 reps on each leg with the 30# bar I moved up to the 45# bar and performed another couplet sets of 10.
This is a seriously super pumped move. I love the shoulder strengthening and stabilization you have to put into the exercise to maintain the overhead positioning but the move is 2% shoulders, 10% hips and 88% core. Your lateral (outer) hip stabilizers (abductors, lateral rotators, glut med) are pounded during this move along with pulling through quads to achieve upright position & I am feeling the soreness in my hips for sure. MOSTLY this is core and that is GREAT!!! you hit your obliques and transverse abdominus (my favorite muscle!) with all parts of this motion, from maintaining bar overhead to the twist to returning to neutral!

3. THIS trail mix!!! I was at the store the other day and the bulk nuts & berries caught my attention. I bought a few of my favorites that were reasonably priced and knew a trail mix would be in my future. I whipped up this batch one morning before my workout.

4. Progress! I feel like my strength is definitely improving and I am able to perform more challenging moves that were previously very difficult for me.

progress!! 🙂

On Monday I was able to string THREE (yes 3) kipping pull ups! I was seriously beyond excited. I realize that 3 kips is not a lot but for me this is a big gain. They still are not perfect but they are getting there. Then the other day a girl at the gym told me that whatever I was doing was working because I looked great! I LOVE this! I was not feeling my greatest that day so to hear from someone who I know from working out that she has noticed changes for the better is really nice to hear. Thanks SUE!

5. Spring Fever week at work! I told you all that I was putting on Spring Fever week for my patients this week at work. It has been a total success! I love that my patients are really getting involved and enjoying the little challenges and themes each day. I am shocked by the people who are participating and it makes me so happy to see all my patients take part in the community bonding experience (even the sometimes grumpy ones). Todays is LUAU day and we are doing a hula hoop contest!

Top = animal print day AlligatorBottom = Jazzercise throw back!

Welp thats all I got for today! Off to work in my Grass Skirt!

Happy Friday Friends!

Are you a good hula hooper?Have you ever done a curtsy lunge? What are you loving today?

“Hey you. You know who you are. You looked at this workout and said ‘I can’t do any of those so Im not going to the gym today.’ Get yourself down there. NOW…”

Have you ever had those thoughts before when looking at a workout, or going into a new exercise for the first time? I know I have, more so than ever since starting GPP.

When I first started GPP, as a satellite member, I often found myself fearful of writing on the community wall because my “scores” were not as good as others.

I would first scan the comments to see how I matched up and if I felt adequate I would post my score/time/weight/reps… I rarely would read the comments written by other people rather just see the times/score/weights/reps and feel either accomplished or defeated.

I always felt great after a GPP workout but often felt an irrational sense of competition and failure was often itching at my back. It wasn’t until I went to GPP intensive and felt the energy around me that I realized the people there were real people and they just worked really, freaking, hard to accomplish the scores/times/weights/reps that they were hitting.

I now find myself reading the comments on the GPP website for inspiration and drive, rather than comparison and judgment. I find that reading the struggles and triumphs of others helps me find my passion in GPP and find the internal fire that makes the whole thing more worth it.

The other last week our workout was the TRIFECTA. I seriously read this workout the night before and thought to myself “fail fail fail fail fail, fail city tomorrow” I then sent my coworker a text saying “I am going to be one epic fail after another tomorrow, I am not excited” talk about some positive thinking to make the whole workout go a little better.

I woke up the next morning and continued to think “UGHH today is going to be rough, Ill just run after to feel like I got a good workout.” Instead of negativity I decided during the drive to the gym that I needed to say only positive things, and that positive talk would be the only thing that would help me succeed.

I took a deep breath and walked through the gym doors. I got to work first on the Hand Stand Push Ups. I knew that performing a completely inverted push up would be extreeeemely challenging so I told myself, just get up, and assume the position. I tried. Failed. Tried failed. And after the fear of breaking my neck (as I was alone) took over I got to thinking “OKAY so handstand position isn’t happening on its own, how can I make this work?”

“I Can’t quite do a HSPU yet so I subbed with a HUGEEE box where I could #safely perform an inverted push-up… I then progressed to simply attaining a #handstand and maintaining this position #aslongaspossible… #progress is key and it won’t happen over night. My first time doing a #HSPU so I am 100% happy with what i did this morning! 50 inverted supported push ups & 6 sustained handstands! NOT yet #gpptrifecta but progress is progress! Able to get some strung pull ups too!!”

I grabbed a BIG box (I think 3 foot) and put it by the wall to give me some support, I initially thought I could kick up to the handstand position from the box, but rather once I was there decided to get some push ups in. I then added another 12inch box to get me even more inverted and did a bunch more push-ups. With a spotter and a little help I was able to get into the handstand & although I was paralyzed in the position I felt a great sense of accomplishment just getting up there!

That night I got on the GPP website and started reading some of the comments from the day. This one struck me hard. I seriously think Judy was talking directly to me or just channeling my inner thoughts from the night before.

Under this post were 3-4 comments on how this was talking right to them, and how they struggled with the movements as well. Actually most people struggled with all the movements because this workout was NOT supposed to be easy, it was not supposed to be simple but it also was not supposed to be something that you quit on.

I am SO glad that I have the GPP community to help pick me up when I feel demoralized and help me remember that I am human. Some of these workouts are for the bionic and I know they were programed that way. It’s not to make you WORSE it is to make you stronger.

How cool is it that a workout can literally make you physical and emotionally stronger? I know I say it too many times but I am so grateful to have found GPP and the community. I work on my fitness each and every day but the people involved in this organization seriously make me a better person each day. I find inspiration in their instagram posts, the motivation through their times & scores and a healthy amount of drive to push harder next time.

I feel a bit of embarrassment to say that I was previously scared/nervous/intimidated to post on the GPP site because these people are real.

So Thank You GPP Gang for helping me storm harder, stronger and safer!

Now I am off to practice handstands!

Can you handstand or handstand push up? Tell me a time when you had similar thoughts regarding a workout or activity!